‘Managing Your Health Together’ booklet now available online

The booklet provides a summary of the findings from the VOCALS (Voluntary Organisations, Community Groups and Local Networks of Support) study. Via group leaders’ accounts and case studies from patients, the booklet offers an insight into the way voluntary and community groups have helped people with long-term conditions.

Amy Mathieson, Research Assistant at the CLAHRC Greater Manchester, says: “During the VOCALS project we started to get ideas for a booklet for and about the community groups who had taken part.”

“Whilst we were collecting the data, interviewing participants and visiting the groups, we thought of creating a resource that would be of value to them. We wanted to contextualise the research for those who had taken part, situating their involvement in the wider aspects of the project so groups could see the bigger picture of what the research was about, and see the other groups that had taken part.”

Amy adds: “Managing Your Health Together showcases all of the hard work that voluntary and community groups do, revealing the health benefits of participation and the support they offer for people with long-term conditions. We would like community groups to use this resource in any way they choose to highlight what they do.”